The Saturday Six

One.

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Ryan and I are always dreaming about business stuff {which is HILARIOUS to me, because I've never considered myself to be the entrepreneurial type}. We take note of buildings in town that happen to be for sale and dream up what kind of business we could put in said building. While this one is not even close to "in town," it is for sale and apparently it's not selling quickly. Hmmmm. Wonder why? Even so...can you just IMAGINE the possibilities for a building like this? My dreamer's heart dreams on...

Two.

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This is not my official "review" for this week, but I learned about this new Reflections Bible from Tyndale, and it is 100% on my wish list now. Journaling Bibles are all the rage, largely because it's the new thing to draw pretty pictures in the margins. My chances of drawing anything remotely recognizable, let alone pretty, are pretty much nonexistent, but when I think of the notes I could take in these margins...oh be still, my beating heart. I am studying from the NLT right now, so this is the perfect fit! In case the idea of this makes your heart skip a beat too, I thought I'd tell you about it! 

Three.

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I feel safe in listing this ONLY because our car is not on this list and therefore Ryan cannot get any wild ideas. Still. Interesting!!! {Also...if this doesn't end up being true for your car, please note that I did not do the research. Don't shoot the messenger!} 


Four.

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Going back to the aforementioned business mindset, I have to say that I've noticed a giant rise in the number of my friends who have some sort of home business. Whether it's their own creation of a full time job, a side-hobby turned job, or a job through a company that sells through home parties, it seems like most of my friends do SOMETHING from home. Therefore, this article by Kathi Lipp intrigued me. I have to say that for us, having me work from home has made a huge difference in our life. {And I mean that in the best possible way.

Five.

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Just added a piece to my capsule wardrobe. It's a utility vest from Simply Bliss {more on this next week!!} and it's my first ever piece like this. Since I wanted to make sure I had a variety of options on how to wear it, I found this article. Looks like, bottom line, I cannot go wrong with this one!

Six.

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A few weeks ago, I told you I read Scotty Smith's new book called Every Season Prayers. I told you I loved it so much that I was going to go back through it, much more slowly, and read it again. {And I have been.} But this focus on prayer sort of whet my appetite to study it even more, and that's why I asked to read a book called Intercessory Prayer by Dutch Sheets.

Truth? The book looked incredibly intimidating to me. BUT...it said on the cover that over 600,000 copies of this book have been sold, so I figured if that many people have read it, there must be something of value inside, and I asked to read it.

Truth? It's not a book for the faint of heart. It's not a hard read in terms of being terribly academic. In fact, Dutch is just straight up HILARIOUS sometimes. I love his sense of humor that sneaks in throughout the book and when reading a hard topic, I think you need humor breaks. Reminders that the author is human just like you and has a personality just like you. Having said that, the meat of this book is deep and intense. When the subtitle is "How God can use your prayers to move Heaven and Earth," you probably should expect no less than deep and intense.

Dutch has studied prayer for most of his life and I appreciated the blend of Scripture application and his own personal experiences that he wove throughout the book. I learned so much in these pages. Ryan said he was surprised that I was drinking it in like I was, because he knows I love to pray and do it often. I told him that's true, but I think prayer, like anything else you do regularly, runs the risk of becoming something you just plod through, and now and then you need some life breathed back into it.

That's how prayer had become for me. He explained Scripturally-based reasons for things I'd always wondered about prayer - like for my whole life. And in other areas, he was quick to say his explanation might not be the ONLY one, but it was one.

Another thing I really appreciated about this book was his up-front honesty that he comes from a very Pentecostal point of view, but he did not want his beliefs and practices in prayer from that perspective to offend or turn away anyone who doesn't practice prayer in similar methods. {That would be me.} I appreciated both his honesty and his careful attention to the heart of prayer, which goes far deeper than the methods of prayer.

I came away challenged to pray more intentionally and aware that there are multiple ways to pray and what might work in one instance might not in another.

I want to interrupt myself here to say that I am NOT a theologian. I read some reviews {after I had secured my own opinion on this book} from readers who felt like in some areas, the theology of this book was skewed. On my initial read-through, I did not find what I personally would classify as bad theology as much as I would describe it as difference of opinion. Perhaps if I delved further into some parts and really examined closely, I might change my mind. But I wanted to throw that out there to you because if you ARE a theologian, I want you to know those concerns exist. I am simply not theologically intelligent enough to debate them.

I'm thankful I read this book at this point in my journey, because I know God is calling me to be more mindful of prayer, and this was a good reference guide to keep as I make these changes! And as with anything, I will always choose to uphold the Word of God above a book by a man, and if I do feel that something is off as I re-examine it, I will follow what I feel the Lord urging me to practice.

*Thanks, Bethany House, for sending a copy of this book my way in exchange for an honest review!*